Supreme Court Denies Curb Records’ Appeal in Tim McGraw Lawsuit

If you thought you heard a huge noise from the direction of Nashville last week, don't be concerned -- it was probably just coming from a giant party at Tim McGraw's house. The United States Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal from Curb Records last week in an ongoing legal war with their former star, effectively bringing the case to an end after years of legal wrangling.

The dispute dates back to May of 2011, when Curb filed suit against the singer for breach of contract, alleging that McGraw delivered his ‘Emotional Traffic’ album too quickly -- a contract clause obliged him to space his albums 18 months apart. Curb refused to release the album, while McGraw took the position that its delivery fulfilled the final obligation in his contract.

He countersued, alleging that Curb Records had kept him in a perpetual state of “involuntary servitude” by making him wait so long to record new albums. McGraw also claimed that Curb's choice to release a total of seven greatest hits albums was a deliberate ploy to extend his contract against his will, since he was then forced to wait another 18 months to fulfill another album in his contract.

Last June, Curb tried to claim that McGraw was still under contract to them when that album was recorded, making the new music the property of Curb Records. An appeals court ruling in September upheld the the previous ruling that McGraw was free to record elsewhere. The Supreme Court's refusal to hear another appeal essentially mean there's nothing left to decide, apart from monetary damages on both sides.